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Purpose Venous malformations (VMs) are low-flow vascular anomalies that are commonly treated with image-guided percutaneous sclerotherapy. Although many VMs can be safely accessed and treated using ultrasonography and fluoroscopy, some lesions may be better treated with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)–guided sclerotherapy. The aim of this study is to evaluate the feasibility, efficiency, and outcomes of MRI-guided sclerotherapy of VMs using a 3T MRI system. Methods Six patients with VMs in the neck (n = 2), chest (n = 1), and extremities (n = 3) underwent sclerotherapy with 3T MRI guidance. Feasibility was assessed by calculating the technical success rate and procedural efficiency. Efficiency was evaluated by using planning, targeting, intervention, and total procedure times. Outcomes were assessed by measuring VM volumes before and after sclerotherapy, patient-reported pain scores, and occurrence of complications. Results Technical success was achieved in all 6 procedures. There was a non-significant 30% decrease in mean VM volume after the procedure (P = .350). The procedure resulted in a decrease in mean pain score (on an 11-point scale) of 2.6 points (P = .003). After the procedure, 4 patients reported complete pain resolution, 1 reported partial pain resolution, and 1 reported no change in pain. Procedural efficiency was consistent with similar sclerotherapy procedures performed at our institution. There were no major or minor complications. Conclusion 3T MRI guidance is feasible for percutaneous sclerotherapy of VMs, with promising initial technical success rates, procedural efficiency, and therapeutic outcomes without complications.

Both simulator practice and intraoperative performance serve to inform surgical trainee training, but the skill transfer from simulation to the intraoperative setting remains unclear. This study evaluates the correlation between trainee performance on virtual reality simulation and (1) overall intraoperative performance during robotic-assisted laparoscopic hysterectomy (RALH) procedures and (2) suturing performance during vaginal cuff closure portion of the case.Retrospective subgroup analysis of randomized controlled trial.Academic hospital.Patients with RALH (N = 29).Gynecological trainees (N = 21) performed simulation tasks using the da Vinci skills simulator on the day of surgery before performing RALH. Attending surgeons assessed participants' intraoperative performance using Global Evaluative Assessment of Robotic Skills (GEARS). Performance of the vaginal cuff closure step was subsequently assessed using GEARS scoring of anonymized videos. Spearman's correlation was used to quantify the relationship between simulation and intraoperative performances.Trainees achieved a median intraoperative GEARS score of 18.5/30 (interquartile range: 17-22) and a median total simulator score of 84.4/100 (interquartile range: 78.1-87.5). More advanced residents exhibited worse overall simulator performance (median score 86.6/100 compared with 78.8/100, p = .03) and similar intraoperative GEARS scores during overall RALH and vaginal cuff closure compared with less experienced trainees. Total simulation performance score was negatively correlated with GEARS Bimanual Dexterity (ρ = -0.46, p = .02) and Force Sensitivity subscores (ρ = -0.39, p = .05). There was no correlation between total GEARS intraoperative vaginal cuff closure scores and overall simulation performances; however, total Tubes simulation score was correlated with higher GEARS Force Sensitivity subscore (ρ = 0.73, p = .05).In this study, there was limited correlation between simulation score metrics and trainees' overall intraoperative performance. Furthermore, we identified that GEARS scores could not distinguish between similar trainee skill levels. These findings underscore the need to develop intraoperative assessment tools that can better discriminate different but similar skill levels.

OBJECTIVE Idiopathic subglottic stenosis (iSGS) is a rare disease, causing life-threatening dyspnea secondary to scarring. Perhaps because it is rarely encountered, there is often a delay in diagnosing iSGS. The objective of this study is to characterize diagnostic delay of iSGS, factors that prolong delay, and its impact on iSGS patients. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective chart review. METHODS A retrospective chart review of 124 iSGS patients was performed. Times of symptom onset, presentation to otolaryngologist, diagnosis, imaging, pulmonary function testing (PFTs), surgeries, emergency department (ED) visits, and hospitalizations were recorded and univariate analyses were used to identify risk factors for delay. RESULTS The median total time to diagnosis from symptom onset was 24.5 months, with time to first presentation of 6.3 months and healthcare delay of 17.8 months. 54.8% of patients were diagnosed with asthma. Earlier presentation to otolaryngologist was associated with shorter healthcare delay and total time to diagnosis (rho = 0.75, rho = 0.99, P

Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety, efficacy, and efficiency of a Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) graft preparation device, DescePrep, through measurement of graft viability, yield, and preparation time in both healthy and diabetic (high-risk) donor eyes. Methods Twenty nondiabetic and 10 diabetic donor corneas were processed using DescePrep, which standardizes the liquid bubble technique. Corneas were stained with trypan blue and then processed. Cell counts through specular microscopy, optical coherence tomography imaging, and slit-lamp analysis were used for the evaluation of graft separation and viability in 5 nondiabetic corneas. The remaining 25 corneas (15 nondiabetic and 10 diabetic) were evaluated for preparation success rate and processing time. Ten corneas (5 nondiabetic and 5 diabetic) were randomly selected for further evaluation of global cell loss through staining. Results Ninety-seven percent of corneas (29 of 30) were prepared successfully with DescePrep. The average preparation time was 2.83 ± 1.8 minutes. There was no significant difference in the time of preparation between the nondiabetic and diabetic groups (P = 0.077). The overall average cell death after processing was 7.9% ± 3.7% for all corneas. There was no significant difference in cell viability between diabetic and nondiabetic tissues after DescePrep processing (P = 0.769). Conclusions DescePrep is a new DMEK preparation technique that can process both nondiabetic and diabetic donor corneas at high yields in minutes. High-yield preparation of diabetic corneas may offer eye banks access to a larger donor , which is important because the demand for DMEK grafts continues to rise worldwide.

OBJECTIVE. Subglottic stenosis (SGS) is a known complication of granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA). We investigated the impact of medical and surgical interventions on the surgical dilation interval and characterized patients with glottic involvement. STUDY DESIGN. A retrospective chart review of patients with GPA-associated SGS was performed from 2010 to 2019. SETTING. Tertiary academic medical center. METHODS. The impact of medical and surgical interventions on dilation interval was assessed. The prevalence of glottic involvement was assessed, and clinical characteristics and outcomes were compared with patients without glottic involvement. RESULTS. A total of 39 patients with GPA-associated SGS were analyzed. Dilation intervals in patients receiving leflunomide (n = 4; median, 484 days; 95% CI, 405–1099) were greater than in those not receiving leflunomide (median, 155 days; 95% CI, 48–305; P = .033). The surgical technique used did not affect dilation interval. Patients with glottic involvement (n = 13) had a greater incidence of dysphonia (13/13 vs 15/26 [58%], P = .007) and a shorter dilation interval with involvement (median, 91 days; interquartile range, 70–277) versus without involvement (median, 377 days; interquartile range, 175–1148; hazard ratio, 3.38; 95% CI, 2.26–5.05; P < .001). Of 13 patients, 8 (62%) did not have glottic involvement on first presentation. CONCLUSION. Although GPA is classically thought to affect the subglottis, it also involves the glottis in a subset of patients. These patients have greater complaints of dysphonia and require more frequent surgery. Systemic therapy may increase dilation intervals. In this preliminary study, patients taking leflunomide demonstrated an improvement, highlighting the need for further study of immunosuppression regimens in the treatment of GPA-associated SGS.

Purpose Middle ear disease is increasingly being managed via transcanal endoscopic ear surgery (TEES). A limitation of TEES is that it restricts the surgeon to single-handed dissection. One solution to this would be an endoscope holder to facilitate two-handed dissection. Current endoscope holders are stationary, and can cause potential damage from endoscope contact with the ossicles or ear canal if unintended head motion occurs from inadequate anesthetic. A dynamic device that could detect and react to patient motion would mitigate these concerns, but currently there is little formal characterization of the frequency, velocity and acceleration of unintended patient head motion during otologic procedures performed under general anesthesia. The present study aims to characterize intraoperative patient head motion kinematics during cases utilizing TEES. Materials and methods This is a prospective study of adults undergoing otologic procedures performed with general anesthesia and without paralysis. Head motion was characterized using a nine-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU), (LPMS-B2, Life Performance Research) mounted to each patient's forehead for the procedure duration. Results Data was collected across 10 cases; 50% of patients were female and mean age was 50 ± 14 years. There was observed patient head motion in 40% of cases with maximum linear acceleration of 0.75 m/s2 and angular velocity of 12.50 degrees/s. Conclusions Patient movement during otologic procedures was commonly observed, demonstrating the need for a dynamic holder to allow two-handed TEES. Results from this study are the first objective characterization of patient head motion kinematics during otologic procedures performed under general anesthesia.